Tech billionaire Tom Siebel survives an elephant attack

So, what did you do on your summer vacation? This benign question is sure to be asked of students throughout the U.S. as they head back to school from their summer vacation. Well, Tom Siebel has a more interesting story than, "We went to the beach."

According to a yarn that Siebel spun for the San Jose Mercury News, he and a tour guide were attacked by an elephant during a safari in the Serengeti last month. Siebel and his guide were observing the elephant on safari when it decided to charge, attacking Siebel and his guide. Siebel, who created Seibel Systems software company, state, "It was all happening so fast. There was no place to hide, no place to run."

Siebel stated that the elephant first plowed into the guide, then turned its ire to Siebel. The Silicon Valley whiz kid suffered broken ribs, a gored left leg, and a crushed right leg. Siebel's injuries have forced him to use a wheelchair and will need reconstructive surgery and physical therapy in order for Siebel to make a full recovery. The two were able to call for help after the elephant went on its merry way, but it took three hours for the two to receive any medical treatment.

I guess that is what happens when your guide takes you to a watering hole in order view different animals. The two were supposedly 200 yards away, which is described as "a respectful distance." That is when one elephant decided to charge without warning. Siebel stated that the guide fired his gun, but missed the animal. He attributes his survival to the fact that he "curled into as tight a ball" as he could. Siebel's guide suffered broken ribs and other injuries as well.

Siebel is one lucky man. A charging elephant is not something that 99.9 percent of us will ever experience. In fact, I'm not sure how I would react if one of those giants came rushing at me. I can guarantee that I couldn't outrun the elephant, and I would probably not have enough sense to curl up like Siebel did. Of course, I could just take away the elephant's credit cards -- that could stop it from charging.

An elephant eats during a game drive at Kruger Park on January 19, 2009. During the World Cup, the camps of Skukuza, Berg-en-Dal and Pretoriuskop will host nearly 2,000 fans in search of South Africa's "Big Five", elephants, buffalo, leopards, lions and rhinos. FIFA is offering packages that include lodging, transport and safaris, which could mean pre-dawn drives to catch the animals at sun-up, twilight hikes, or dinner in the bush. To allow the guests to see the football matches, Kruger is reworking its rules. The park currently closes at 6:00 pm, and some games at Nelspruit's Mbombela stadium will only kick off two hours later. Armed rangers will escort the fans back to their lodges and tents, "to protect them from lions, elephants and other dangerous animals," according to South African National Parks. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER JOE TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY Fbl-WC2010-RSA-travel-tourism-FEATURE by Alexandra Lesieur (Photo credit should read ALEXANDER JOE/AFP/Getty Images)